Not training hard enough? Check your intensity with a heart rate monitor.
When you’re weight training, you’re jacking up your metabolic rate by encouraging calorie burning and adding muscle mass. Cardiovascular training (walking, jogging, running, or using any of the gym machines such as treadmills, bicycles, or stairclimbers) is also important for burning calories and ultimately for burning body fat. Use a heart rate monitor to ensure your training at the right level. Many people think they can climb onto a treadmill and just keep moving until their body is perfect. That’s not the case. Performing an excess of cardio (either in intensity, frequency, or duration) can take your body over the edge into a state of overtraining, and it can burn muscle mass rather than body fat. Either way, your cardio actually can end up working against your goal of shedding body fat and adding lean muscle mass.
